Driving in Montreal can be frustrating; traffic jams, roads under construction, pot holes and the inability to find decent parking spots will make you hate driving in this city. Once, some friends and I drove to downtown Montreal to attend the Just for Laughs festival. After a 20 minute ride, we couldn’t find parking. We looked around for 20 minutes and eventually went back home! True Story!

This blog post is to showcase different alternatives to driving your own car to move around Montreal.

STM

Montreal has a really good transit system that will help you move around the city for as low as 3.75$ CAD. With the option of choosing the bus or the Metro, you can move around 90% of the city. Here’s a map of Montreal’s Metro stations.
Insert Map

If you consider using the transit for a whole night, you can purchase an unlimited travel card that will cover all your travels from 6 PM to 5 AM the next day and the weekend plan offers unlimited ride from Friday 4PM to Monday 5 AM!

To make it easier for you, every bus station has an access code that can be found on the bottom left corner and you can use the STM App to know when the next bus is coming.

Download the STM App here: Apple Store / Play Store

Ride Sharing

Going somewhere that would take too much time to walk? You can use different ride-sharing apps that will bring you to your destination fast and you won’t need to worry about parking fees. You can use Montreal Taxi, Uber or Montreal’s very own version called Teo Taxi that only uses hybrid cars. Personally, Teo Taxi is our favorite because it is environmental friendly and there’s WI-Fi (yes they have wi-fi onboard!) , a nicer fleet of cars and an entertainment system for your ride.

The BIXI

If you feel like discovering Montreal while exercising you can either walk or use Montreal’s very own bike sharing system called BIXI. Starting at 5$ for 24 Hours or One-Way Purchases if you have the Opus Card , there’s different packages that can be purchased to use a BIXI and they are available from April 15th to November 15th!

The way it works is quite simple: Montreal has many docking stations for BIXI and all you need is your credit card to identify you as a user and a 100$ CAD is placed on your credit card for a maximum of 10 days. Then, an unlocking code will be given to you which allows you to take your bicycle for a ride of up to 45 minutes at a time. The BIXI app will help you find different stations, see where you can pick up a BIXI or where the closest drop-off point near your destination is.

You can download the BIXI app here:
App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/bixi/id628543321?mt=8
Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.eightd.biximobile&hl=en

CAR 2 Go / Communauto

“Like a rental car, but way better” – Car2Go
This service is similar to the BIXI mentioned above but instead of a bike, you use a car. CAR2GO started in Germany and was well received by Montreal’s population. It has a large amount of Smart Cars around Montreal that are up for grabs with no reservations needed. There are many packages for this service, starting at 0,41$/Min for short trips, 15$/ hour when you are looking to run errands and 59$/day if you need it for the day! All those rates include the parking, the insurance and the fuel!

Montreal also has it’s very own Car Sharing system called Communauto that offers larger cars such as a Toyota Corolla and Yaris. The price for this service is a bit less than Car 2 Go at 0,39$/ Min and 12$/ Hr. It is also possible to have a membership that will give you a better rate for the rental. This service is closer to the typical car rental system since you have to bring back the car to the original station.

You can use the app here
Car2Go
Communauto

Walk!

The best way to move around downtown Montreal is definitely by walking. Everything is walking distance and you will discover many gems of Montreal simply by walking.

During a cold or rainy day, you can use Montreal’s Underground System that covers a large amount of the downtown area which is worth exploring as well!
-See map here

Also, Montreal just unveiled a promenade to celebrate its 375th anniversary. A 3.8 KM long promenade that offers rest areas from Mont-Royal to the Old Port.

As you can see, there are many ways for you to move around Montreal without using your own car and go on a hunt to find parking. What is your favorite alternative?

Steve

Steve Daniel is a Montreal born ambitious and charismatic individual. He created MTLPromos to promote the city and to share the culture and the lifestyle to the world. You can follow him on Instagram @IAmSteveDaniel